MovieMaker Magazine has announced its 10th annual list of the 10 best U.S. cities for independent moviemakers to live and work in -- and despite once again attracting record-setting levels of film and TV production in 2009, New Orleans isn't in that number.The closest city to New Orleans on the list is Shreveport, which comes in at No. 3. Other cities that surprisingly came in ahead of the Big Easy include Stamford, Conn., which came in at No. 6, and Detroit, which landed at No. 8.Editors at the New York-based trade magazine declined a request for a telephone interview Thursday (Jan. 21), though in responding to an emailed list of questions Friday (Jan. 23), they suggested quality-of-life issues kept the city off the list, noting that it did make the magazine's "short list."Scott Threlkeld / T-PJames Asmus holds his cell phone up to the camera for a closeup during the 2006 production of the film 'Tug.' "While New Orleans' production activity is surely impressive -- and looks to be just as strong in 2010 -- the list truly is made up of the cities that we feel are the best places for moviemakers to work and live," MovieMaker associate editor Andrew Gnerre wrote. "In other words, as outlined in the article, there are numerous factors that are weighed in addition to production hours. Despite not making the top 10, we were surely impressed by the city's below average cost of living and numerous education opportunities."According to a news release announcing the list, criteria considered for inclusion in the rankings involved "a swarm of factors: Cost of living, employment opportunities, housing costs, crime rates and quality of life, state and city financial incentives, access to talent, size and closeness of the local moviemaking community, ease of shooting (i.e. amount of red tape), local production resources and movie-related vendors, exposure to other moviemakers and film sets, educational opportunities and number of local screening options, including film festivals.""There's definitely a possibility of New Orleans making the list in the future," Gnerre wrote in his email. "With an impressive slate of films in place for 2010, the city's steady work on growing the number of soundstages to attract big pictures (which give young and independent moviemakers an opportunity for "hands-on" learning) and Louisiana's strong tax incentive, things are obviously going well for New Orleans' film scene -- which hopefully will place the city back in our top 10 for our 2011 list."What local policy-makers need to do to make sure New Orleans' moviemaking community stays on the up and up is to ensure that the state's 30 percent tax credit remains in place, despite budget cuts elsewhere in the country."Jennifer Day, director of the New Orleans Office of Film and Video, all but shrugged about the city's absense from the list. "I'm not losing any sleep over it," she said, noting that New Orleans has never been included in the rankings in the 10-year history of the list."The number of films shot in New Orleans last year alone speaks for itself. We are the proud leader of the Louisiana film industry -- and everybody knows that."Although it's the big-name, big-budget films -- such as "Green Lantern," "The Expendables," "Jonah Hex" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- that get most of the headlines, Day said New Orleans' indie scene is a vibrant one."We've got tons of indies -- let me get my list -- there are so many I can't even remember," she said.Among the independent films that shot in New Orleans in 2009 were "The Somnambulist," "Stewie," "Cotton," "Leonie" and "Dead of Night." Additionally, "Welcome to the Rileys" -- which shot in late 2008 with James Gandolfini, Melissa Leo and Kristen Stewart -- will debut this week at the Sundance Film Festival, and the comedy "Snatched," another local indie production from 2009, will unspool at in conjunction with the Slamdance Film Festival.

The full rankings, which are included in the magazine's Winter 2010 issue, are as follows:1. Albuquerque, N.M.2. Los Angeles3. Shreveport4. New York5. Austin, Texas6. Stamford, Conn.7. Boston8. Detroit9. Philadelphia10. Seattle

Sunday, January 24, 2010

by Julie Jacobs with Jennifer M. Wood Published January 18, 2010. The Picture is:The Hughes Brothers direct Denzel Washington on the Albuquerque set of The Book of Eli (2010).

Some say that money is the root of all evil, while others hold that evil follows money’s absence. Likewise for today’s independent moviemakers, while some contend that bigger budgets open up more creative options, others maintain that limited budgets have a better chance of generating true innovation.The latter seems to be proving true in American cities big and small, as increasing numbers of would-be auteurs make the leap from moviegoer to moviemaker. They’re being aided by the low cost of digital technologies, which make the medium ever more democratic at the same time that costs creep lower. The barriers that existed for independent moviemakers just a few years ago have all but disappeared, not only in terms of accessibility to reasonably priced production and post-production equipment, but with distribution opportunities, too. Best of all, freshly minted moviemakers don’t even need to leave home to make cinema happen.For the past decade, MovieMaker’s editors have paid careful attention to location trends. From recent financial incentives to new soundstages, we have tracked these developments while being vocal proponents of the “backyard/backlot” lifestyle—the idea that one should be able to shoot close to where he or she lives.We also understand that moviemaking is not a solo enterprise; it’s an endeavor that benefits greatly from the support of like-minded artists. It would stand to reason, then, that moviemakers in traditional “cinema cities” such as New York and Los Angeles might have an edge over their peers in lesser-known production areas. But with previously under-utilized areas such as Shreveport, Louisiana and Albuquerque, New Mexico continuing to climb our “best places” list year after year, the truth is that moviemaking can happen anywhere—as long as there are creative artists willing to make a go of it and a community of supporters happy to nurture their talents.

Here, then, is MM’s 10th annual ranking of the country’s best cities in which to be an independent moviemaker.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Louisiana is looking good for the 2010 year in film. There are many productions on the ground and running for the begining of this new year and the promise of so many more films will keep Louisiana crews very busy. One of the biggest rumors can now be laid to rest that Pirates will not film in Louisiana but instead will go to Hawaii. It was going to be a large production for Louisiana if they got a piece of it but we will not dwell on it. Drive Angry is in line for Shreveport as well as Green Lantern in New Orleans. Here are the productions:

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Peter Sarsgaard is in negotiations to play the villain in "Green Lantern," Warner Bros.' big-budget, Martin Campbell-directed tentpole based on the DC Comics superhero.Ryan Reynolds is starring as Hal Jordan, the test pilot who finds a downed spacecraft with a dying alien who passes him a powerful ring, introducing Jordan to an interstellar police force known as the Green Lanterns.Sarsgaard will play Dr. Hector Hammond, the pathologist son of a senator who is seen as a disappointment in his father's eyes. He becomes infused with psychic powers when he discovers a meteor.The character was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in the early 1960s.Blake Lively has already been cast as Reynolds' love interest, Carol Ferris.The movie is prepping for a March start in New Orleans. Donald De Line and Greg Berlanti are producing.Sarsgaard, who starred opposite Carey Mulligan in "An Education," recently wrapped "Knight and Day" with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The actor, repped by CAA and Authentic Talent and Literary Management, is shooting the indie thriller "The Ledge" with Terrence Howard and Evan Rachel Wood.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Rumors are a buzz but many of these productions are here with offices in the state so soon there will be some contact information for these productions. Louisiana seems to have a slew of productions coming to the state. The biggest rumor, and it still is just a rumor, is that Pirates of the Caribbean 4 might show it's head in Louisiana this year. Drive Angry with Nicolas Cage is going to Shreveport in January which will be filmed in 3D. Green Lantern with Ryan Renyolds is in Pre-Production in New Orleans and will be filming soon. Red with Bruce Willis as well as Kane and Lynch, also with Bruce Willis, will be in New Orleans in early 2010. Having said that, here are some more listings that I have searched the internet and found to either be coming to Louisiana or thinking about coming to Louisiana. You never know until they set up offices which ones of these will actually film in Louisiana.

Here is a compiled list:

Green Lantern, January in New Orleans with Ryan RenyoldsRed in January, New Orleans, Bruce WillisKane and Lynch, Bruce Willis, springDrive Angry with Nicolas Cage in Shreveport in JanuaryFirst love, Then Marriage, New Orleans with Jessica AlbaThe Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, with Jessica biel, New OrleansI wanna dance ,New Orleans with Paula AbdulThe Gatekeeper New Orleans February, with Ron PearlmanHatchet 2 either New Orleans or Shreveport,Remnants New Orleans10,000 doors October in New OrleansThe Coffin AugustThe Six Month Rule, Shreveport, FebruaryScratching the Surface, New Orleans in marchTroll Baton RougePray for Light January 2010A War WithinHallow Point Baton RougePlaying with the Enemy Shreveport in MarchBrightland Baton Rouge MarchThe Work in Meterie LaLeslie New OrleansSamuel Bleak Houma LA MayWithout Fear New OrleansDifficult Death New Orleans